Calculating machines



Nov. 16, 1965 w. M. F. SPAHR ETAL 3,217,985

CALCULATING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 4, 1964 H O u T m A N sN E R v F o M R R E W N m w T N U G HORST G. G. DENZIN GERHARD O.W.DENZIN wwZ flgifi Nov. 16, 1965 w. M. F. SPAHR ETAL 3,217,935

CALCULATING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 4, 1964 INVENTORS.

WERNER M. F. SPAHR GUNTER W. RHORNAUER HORST G. G. DENZIN GERHARDO.W.DENZIN Nov. 16, 1965 Filed Aug. 4, 1964 Fig. 5

W. M. F. SPAHR ETAL CALCULATING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United StatesPatent "ice 3,217,985 CALCULATING MACHINES Werner M. F. Spahr, GiinterW. R. Hornauer, Georg G. Denzin, and Gerhard 0. W. Denzin, Berlin,Germany, assignors to Hamann Rechenmaschinen G.m.b.H., Berlin, Germany,a corporation of Germany Filed Aug. 4, 1964, Ser. No. 387,441 Claimspriority, application Germany, Feb. 2, 1964, H 51,650 6 Claims. (Cl.235138) The present invention relates to rotary drive calculatingmachines and more particularly concerns improved tens carry mechanismsin which each tens carry increment of drive is transmitted as anextension of the digital actuating drive.

The present invention is disclosed as embodied in a calculating machinesuch as shown in part in the US. Patent No. 1,788,192 issued January 6,1931. This machine is characterized as being of the polyphasenon-reversible type in which the numeral wheel actuators invariably turnin but one direction and wherein a reverse gearing is provided in thegear train between the actuators and the numeral wheels to provide forpositive and negative directions of advance. Previously, these machineshave characteristically been driven through a digital actuating phasefollowed by a separate tens carry phase; hence, the name polyphase hasbeen applied thereto. In such machines the digital actuating drive andthe tens carry drive have been completely separate from each other witha resultant starting and stopping of the numeral wheels at the beginningand at the end of both the digital and tens carry phases. Such anintermittent drive, occurring twice during each cycle of actuating, hasresulted in wear and tear on the parts and has amplified the problems ofpreventing overthrow of the numeral wheels at the end of the digitalactuating and tens carry phases. Furthermore, the provision forintermittent starting and stopping of the drive to the numeral wheelshas resulted in extending the time required for the tens carry phase ofthe machine.

.One advantage of the polyphase non-reversible calculating machine hasbeen that the actuator drive gearing could be so arranged as to startthe digital drive in different orders at different selected times eachin accordance with the values set therein. The result is that thedigital drive terminates in all orders at exactly the same timeregardless of the values selected. Accordingly, a common non-overthrowpawl mechanism could be provided for the numeral wheels to preventoverthrow thereof at the end of the actuating drive. However, thisarrangement is not applicable to preventing overthrow of the tens carrydrive inasmuch as not all orders of the calculating machine receive atens carry drive at the same time. Therefore, in prior art machines,separate nonoverthrow preventing mechanism, if any, was required forprevention of overthrow during the tens carry phase of operation.

According to the present invention the stopping and restarting of theactuator drive train between the digital actuating and tens carry phasesis entirely eliminated and in those orders where a tens carry is tooccur, the digital actuating mechanism is permitted to remain engagedfor a single increment of drive before disengaging the drive from thenumeral wheels. Furthermore, each order of the actuating mechanism isprovided with a nonoverthrow preventing pawl which is rendered operativeto stop the rotation of the numeral wheel associated therewith, eitherat the end of the digital drive, when there is no tens carry, or at theend of the tens carry drive when such drive is transmitted. Theprovision of the tens carry phase as an extension of the digital actu-3,217,985 Patented Nov. 16, 1965 ating phase results in the reduction ofwear and noise due to the elimination of one stop and one start of thenumeral wheels during each cycle of actuation. Furthermore, operatingreliability is increased because the drive to the numeral wheels isengaged only once during each cycle regardless of whether actuation isfollowed by a tens carry. Finally, since the invention provides for areduction in the number of parts and since the angle of rotationrequired in the tens carry phase is reduced, the number of orders ofactuation in a given machine may be increased within the same physicalspace required for the prior art machines, i.e., a machine with theincreased capacity is permitted to complete a sequential (chain carry)tens carry operation within a much shorter period of time.

It is, therefore, a main object of the invention to provide tens carrymechanism for calculating machines.

Another object is to provide an improved tens carry mechanism in whichthe tens carry drive is formed as an extension of the digital actuatingdrive.

Another object is to continuously drive the numeral wheels throughoutthe digital and tens carry actuating drive.

A further object is to reduce the number of parts, wear, and noise in acalculating machine.

A further object is to provide an improved digital overthrow preventingmeans which is required to operate only once in each operating cycle ofthe machine regardless of whether or not a tens carry cycle follows thedigital actuating cycle.

A still further object is to provide a tens carry preparatory mechanismhaving two selectively set positions and in which the drive transmittingforces which create torsional forces, normally tending to move the tenscarry mechanism from either one of its two set positions, merely servesto further lock the conditioning mechanism in either set positionthereof.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described below when taken inconjunction with the following drawings, given by way of example only,and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view, partially in section, as seen from the right-handside of the machine, showing the digital drive and tens carry actuatingmechanisms;

FIGURE 2 is a right-side view, partially in section, of the mainactuator drive shaft and a portion of the actuator drive mechanism;

FIGURE 3 is the same as FIGURE 1 except that the ten carry mechanism isshown in its active position;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view, partially in section, of the actuatingmechanism shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, and

FIGURE 5 is an exploded view of the actuating mechanism.

A main drive shaft 1 (FIGURE 1) is supported in suitable side frames(not shown) and is rotated once in a clockwise direction either by ahand crank or by conventional cyclic clutch for each adding orsubtracting operation. Shaft 1 has a keyway 4 to receive the keys 3(FIGURE 2) of a plurality of ordinally spaced plates 2, the arrangementbeing that the plates 2. rotate with shaft 1. Each plate 2 has freelypivoted thereon, at 39 and 41 respectively, a pair of drive transmittingpawls 33 and 42, which pawls normally stand disengaged from the internalteeth of an actuator drive gear 6 (FIGURES 1 and 5). The innermost tailsof the pawls 38 and 42 stand adjacent to each other and are spring-urgedin clockwise and counterclockwise fashion, respectively by a spring 40to the extent that a contact follower pin or roller 37 carried by pawl38 lies adjacent the working peripheries of a pair of cams 12 and 13(FIGURE 1). Each gear 6 (FIGURE 4) is supported for a rotation about theshaft 1 by a carrier disk 8 which is mounted upon a hub 7. Hub 7, inturn, is freely mounted on an ordinal spacer 5.

Also mounted on spacer is a bushing 12 which carries a value entrysetting segment 10. The setting seg ment 10 is well known in the art andmay be adjusted, either manually by means of an extension (not shown)projecting through the cover of the machine, or it may be set under thecontrol of a keyboard in known fashion, such setting comprisingcounter-clockwise movement of a geared segment 10 by a number ofincrements corresponding to the value selected. The cam 12 is integrallyfixed to the selection segment 10 and rotates therewith to a selectivelyset position. Cam 12 comprises a higher peripheral surface 12A and alower peripheral surface 12B each of which working surface is concentricwith the axis of shaft 1. In the initial position of the parts the pin37 (FIGURES 2 and 1) stands upon the high periphery 12A of the cam thusholding the pawls 38 and 42 disengaged from the internal teeth of thegear 6.

The previously mentioned cam 13 comprises a pair of cam surfaces 13A and13B and also an extension 14 (FIGURE 1) by means of which the cam 13 iscontrolled, during tens carry operations, to be adjusted clockwise fromthe position shown in FIGURE 1 to that shown in FIGURE 3. As shown inFIGURES 1 and 5, with the selection segment 10 set at zero, the highportions of cams 12 and 13 overlap each other so as to present asubstantially continuous bearing surface for the pin 37 to hold thepawls 38 and 42 out of engagement from the gear 6. Assuming that theoperator selects a value of 7, for example, and adjusts the gear segment10 seven increments in a counter-clockwise direction, then the cam 12will likewise be set by a similar number of increments in the samedirection, thus creating a gap of seven increments between the ends ofthe high portions of cams 12 and 13. Then upon rotation of the shaft 1and its plate 2 in a clockwise direction for one complete cycle, the pin39, after moving two increments on the high portion 12A of cam 12, willfall to the low portion thereof thus permitting the pawls 38 and 42 toengage the internal teeth of gear 6. Continued rotation of the cam forthe next seven increments will cause the gear 6 to be rotated in aclockwise direction and through the external teeth thereof to drive anintermediate gear 32 by a similar number of teeth. Gear 32 is fixed upona cross shaft 23 and is selectively engaged by one or the other of theplus-minus gears 27 and 29. The latter two gears are freely mounted uponshafts 3t and 31 which shafts, in turn, are fixed to supporting plates(not shown) at the opposite ends thereof and which supporting plates arerocked about -a pivot 48. This arrangement comprises a well-knowntumbling register, and a disclosure of means for rocking the gears aboutthe pivot 48 is believed unnecessary for an understanding of the presentinvention. Either one of the two gears 29 and 30 may be thought of asthe numeral wheel, or alternatively, a numeral wheel gear may be meshedwith one of the two gears 27 or 29 for purposes of display.

After the numeral wheel has been advanced seven increments, as describedabove, the pin 39 contacts the connecting shoulder 43 between the lowportion 133 and high portion 13A of cam 13. At such time the pin 37 isdriven outwardly with respect to the shaft 1 thus retracting the pawls38 and 42 from the numeral wheel gear 6. The outward movement of the pin37 (FIGURE 3) is effective through contact with a camming surface 36 ofa lever 36 to drive the latter clockwise about its supporting pivot 33.A leftmost extension of lever 34 is thereby driven clockwise intoengagement between adjacent teeth of the previously mentioned gear 32,thus preventing overthrow of the numeral wheel and centralizing theactuator gear 6 with respect to the drive pawls. Assuming that thenumeral wheels originally stood at the registration of zero, then at theend of the above ded scribed actuating operation, the numeral wheelregister stands at a value of 7.

Assuming now that a value of 24 is to be added thereto, the lower orderselection segment 10 will be set at a value of 4 and the adjacent higherorder value selection 10 will be set a a value of 2. Further assumingthat the shaft 1 is rotated as described to enter the value 24 into thecalculating machine, the addition of the 4 to the 7 previouslyaccumulated will cause a tens carry to be into the adjacent higherorder, which higher order numeral wheel should then be driven to aregistration of 2 rather than 1. During the rotation of the units ordergear 27 through a registration of from 9 to 0, a wide tooth 26 (FIGURE4), integral with the gear 27, contacts a tens carry tooth 24 on a tenscarry element 22 associated with the adjacent higher order numeralwheel. Element 22 is freely mounted on supporting shaft 23, and thelower rightmost end thereof is forked as at 21 to receive a roller 20.The latter is mounted upon a plate 18, the plate being freely mountedupon cross shaft 17. The wide tooth 26 rocks the tooth 24counter-clockwise and through the forked connection 21*2t rocks theplate 18 in a clockwise direction. Plate 13 carries a pin 16 whichengages within a modified S shaped slot 15 formed within the extension13 of the cam. Clockwise movement of the pin 16, acting upon theconfines of slot 15, drives the extension 14 and cam 1.3 one incrementin a clockwise direction from that shown in FIGURE 1 to that shown inFIGURE 3. A detent spring 19 holds the plate 18 in either adjustedposition thereof.

After the higher order numeral wheel (which Was digitally driven to avalue of 1 in accordance with the selection previously made) has reachedthe end of its digital drive, the pawls 38 and 42 are not disengagedfrom the gear 6 due to the cam 13 having been rocked one incrementclockwise. Therefore, the gear 6 is driven one more increment,corresponding to the tens carry drive, before the pin reaches the highportion of cam 13. Thus, the digital increments of drive and the singletens carry increment of drive are continuous and uninterrupted, therebyeliminating one of the faults of previously known intermittent drivemachines.

It will also be observed that the cam surface 36A of lever 36 isextended in such fashion as to be actuated by the pin 37 when the latteris moved in a disengaging direction following the tens carry drive. Thisresults in driving the lever 36 and its extension 35 clockwise intooverthrow preventing relationship with the gear 32, in the same manneras previously described. Thus, a single overthrow preventing mechanismis provided in each order of the present machine for preventingoverdrive of the numeral wheels either as a result of termination ofdigital actuation or the termination of the tens carry drive.

During subtracting operations the gear 29 (FIGURE 1) is engaged with thegear 32 and gear 29 has a wide tooth 28 fixed thereon in the same mannerthat the Wide tooth 26 is fixed to the gear 27, the only differencebeing that in a subtractive direction the wide tooth 2S cooperates withtooth extension 25 of the element 22 during the passage of the gear 29from a nine to a zero registration, in a manner well known in the art.

Since the plate 18 is held in either rocked position thereof by thedetent 19, means must be provided for restoring the plate 18 and thetens carry mechanism to its initial position. For this reason the plate2 carries a raised cam surface 2A thereon and after the tens carryoperation is completed, surface 2A contacts surface 18A on plate 18 thusrocking the latter in a counter-clockwise direction back to the positionshown in FIGURE 1. When the shaft reaches the position shown in FIGURE1, all the parts are restored to the initial positions thus completingthe addition of the value 24 to the value 7.

In order to eliminate torsional moments which might be created by thecontact of pin 37 with the rise and fall of the cam 13, the respectiveends 15A and 15B of the S shaped slot 15 are so formed that in the twoset positions of the cam 13 the forces are absorbed by the shaft 17through the mediacy of the pin 16 and the lever 18 without detrimentaleffect on the latter.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that we have provided animproved tens carry mechanism, which mechanism not only is simpler inparts, requiring less space in the machine, and rendering the tens carrycycle more compact, but more effectively permits extension of the numberor orders to which a tens carry operation may be carried out withoutextending the operating cycle of the machine. Furthermore, we haveprovided a new overthrow pawl which is operative either at the end ofthe tens carry cycle, or at the end of the digitation actuating cycle(in those cases where a tens carry does not occur). The provision of asimple overthrow preventing pawl permits increased operating speed of anumeral wheel drive actuating mechanism. The invention is applicable toadding machines, bookkeeping machines, etc., as well as calculatingmachines, and in the following claims, the term calculating machines ismeant to cover all of such applications of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a rotary calculating machine having an ordinally arranged numeralwheel register, an actuator drive shaft, means to selectively drive saidnumeral Wheels comprising in each order a drive gear, a selectivelysettable first cam having high and low surfaces thereon, a second camalso having high and low surfaces and lying adjacent said first cam,said second cam normally standing in a predetermined position, a camfollower carried by said drive shaft and spring urged to contact thehigh and low surfaces of said two cams during rotation of the followerrelative to the cams to thereby cause an arm of said follower to engagesaid actuator gear and drive the same a predetermined amount; incombination with means responsive to movement of a numeral wheel througha predetermined value registration to move the second cam of an adjacenthigher order by one increment whereby the drive transmitted by thefollower to the numeral wheel in the adjacent higher order is equal toone digital increment.

2. A calculating machine as defined in claim 1 in which digitalincrements and tens carry increments are both transmitted to a numeralWheel by a common drive mechanism.

3. A calculating machine as defined in claim 1 in which the second camcomprises an extension thereon having a modified S shaped cam slot cuttherein; a control pin engageable in said slot and moveable by the ad-Vance of an adjacent lower order numeral wheel from a first to a secondpredetermined position, said pin, during said movement, moving theextension and said second cam to said second position, and the ends ofsaid S shaped slot being so formed that in either one of the twooperating positions of said pin torsional forces transmitted to saidsecond cam by the follower tend to lock the pin in either set positionof said slot.

4. A calculating machine as defined in claim 1 having a pawl engagingthe numeral wheel drive train to prevent overthrow thereof, said pawlbeing operable by said drive transmitting cam follower in moving todrive disengaging position either upon conclusion of digitation withouttens carry or at the conclusion of a digital drive followed by a tenscarry.

5. A calculating machine as defined in claim 1 including means carriedby said drive shaft and operable after a tens carry drive has beentransmitted to a numeral wheel to return said pin and said second cam tothe first respective positions thereof.

6. In a calculating machine having a main drive shaft, numeral wheels,and polyphase non-reversible actuators therefor, value entry mechanismcomprising a first cam freely mounted for rotation about said shaft andsettable from an initial zero value representative position to any oneof a plurality of value representative positions 1 to 9, said cam havinga high peripheral and a low peripheral working surface, said actuatorseach comprising an internal gear freely mounted for rotation about saidshaft, a member fixed to said shaft, and carrying at least one pawlspring urged for engagement With said internal gear, a second cammounted adjacent said first cam and having a working surface thereon, afollower contacting the working surfaces on said earns whereby with saidfirst cam set in a value selected position the rotation of said shaftand said follower along said cams permits the pawl to engage and thendisengage from the internal gear to advance the numeral wheel a selectedamount, in combination with tens carry mechanism responsive to a numeralwheel passing a predetermined value registration for moving at least oneof said cams of the adjacent higher order numeral wheel actuatingmechanism in a direction to maintain the follower on the low peripheryof said cam for transmitting an additional increment of digital movementto said higher order numeral wheel.

No references cited.

LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.3,217,985 November 16, 1965 Werner M. F. Spahr et a1.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patentrequiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read ascorrected below.

In the grant, line 2, and in the heading to the printed specification,lines 3 and 4, for "Georg G. Denzin", each occurrence, read Horst G. G.Denzin Signed and sealed this 27th day of September 1966.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Attesting Officer Commissioner ofPatents

1. IN A ROTARY CALCULATING MACHINE HAVING AN ORDINALLY ARRANGED NUMERALWHEEL REGISTER, AND ACTUATOR DRIVE SHAFT, MEANS TO SELECTIVELY DRIVESAID NUMERAL WHEELS COMPRISING IN EACH ORDER A DRIVE GEAR, A SELECTIVELYSETTABLE FIRST CAM HAVING HIGH AND LOW SURFACES AND LYING ADJACENT SAIDFIRST HAVING HIGH AND LOW SURFACES AND LYING ADJACENT SAID FIRST CAM,SAID SECOND CAM NORMALLY STANDING IN A PREDTERMINED POSITION, A CAMFOLLOWER CARRIED BY SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND SPRING URGED TO CONTACT THEHIGH AND LOW SURFACES OF SAID TWO CAMS DURING ROTATION OF THE FOLLOWERRELATIVE TO THE CAMS TO THEREBY CAUSE AN ARM OF SAID FOLLOWER TO ENGAGESAID ACTUATOR GEAR AND DRIVE THE SAME A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT; INCOMBINATION WITH MEANS RESPONSIVE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID NUMERAL WHEELTHROUGH A PREDETERMINED VALUE REGISTRATION TO MOVE THE SECOND CAM OF ANADJACENT HIGHER ORDER BY ONE INCREMENT WHEREBY THE DRIVE TRANSMITTED BYTHE FOLOWER TO THE NUMERAL WHEEL IN THE ADJACENT HIGHER ORDER IS EQUALTO ONE DIGITAL INCREMENT.